How I Run My Business

If you’ve ever worked with me before or were thinking of working with me for your next project, you probably want to know things like “how does Ava stick to deadlines” or “What’s her rate?” Realistically it’s all highly variable, and on top of that I tend to work relatively short days to give time for other things. So, I figured I’d write about how I run things here with probably more detail that anyone wanted.

Generally speaking, I want a contract in place for any job I do. There are exceptions, like I’ve done work for charity and volunteer projects where contracts weren’t really needed due to constantly changing direction and no real deadlines in place for anything, but generally a written and signed contract should be in place before anything is done. Contracts need several things to be valid, including:

• mutual assent via express offer and acceptance (you will do X, I will do Y, we agree unambiguously)

• consideration (usually how much one will be paid or otherwise a payment schedule), capacity (being able to actually enter a contract and that the contract is legal)

• mutual obligation (we both agree to the contract terms)

That’s really all you need for a legal contract, but I do prefer more, including:

• description of what will be delivered when (deadlines are important otherwise nothing gets done)

• how payment is handled (e.g. $500 will be paid up front or $1200 will be paid weekly; yes I do prefer being paid up front but have been contracted to be on retainer as well)

• exclusivity (if the delivered product will only be able to be used by the client, which is common and typically requires separate documentation, or if I can re-use assets for other projects which is preferable for me because laziness is so much easier than working)

• confidentiality (basically an NDA, usually also covers things like if the client gives me tools or access to their things, I will return them)

• severability (what can end the contract and how; I typically want a quick and easy way out just because some clients are hell and I’d prefer to fire them quickly)

I absolutely hate it when someone just hits me up on Discord or whatever and asks if I want to do a project, we agree (thus technically forming a valid contract), but then they don’t give any indication of deadlines, check-ins, etc. Makes life harder because they’re checking in on me seemingly at random for something that’s effectively not due and I’ve barely worked on, and then I usually end up having to create deadlines that fit my schedule but may not fit theirs. Just… use contracts up front. Everything’s easier with contracts.

Boring part out of the way, let’s move on to how much I actually work. As you likely know by now, I use synthesizers to create most of my sounds. If libraries are provided by the client I’ll make use of those, and sometimes use samples I recorded or freely available samples like those included in synths I use. Basically if I can legally use a sample, I’ll probably use it to layer with synthetic sounds. I have found that this sort of creation can be rather brain-racking despite being fun, so I do limit how long I work to 8 hour days.

This might seem normal for you office folk, but it’s worth noting many of my peers work much longer days, like 10, 12, or even 16 hours. I just don’t have the mental stamina for that, and I have restless leg syndrome so I can’t just sit at my workstation constantly either, so I typically try to work about 6 hours a day. Whatever I can get done in 6 hours is what gets done, the rest waits for the next day unless it’s particularly urgent or I’m particularly eager to do more work. I do very strictly not work Thursdays and Sundays though. I’ve found breaking up the 5 on, 2 off schedule is sooo much better mentally, and frankly your health should be above whatever else is going on. Makes it much easier to be efficient and have a clear mind and thus fulfill your deadlines.

What do I do for the rest of the day then? Well, more work, just not sound design, along with personal projects, hobbies, and family time. I am a content creator for less SFW platforms, which is work I also enjoy but is also much easier to do because it’s pretty much just talking to a camera on a tripod while streaming or recording and editing then uploading. I’m also a photographer (taikaphotography.com) and budding cinematographer, which I do try to monetize but is largely on the hobby side, along with building LEGO stuff, watching YouTube, and playing videogames on my custom built PC.

When I do paid work with cameras outside of my usual content, that tends to eat into sound design time unless it happens on my days off. I also have several personal projects in the works, many of which I wrote about here, and have two young children and a husband who do tend to appreciate it when I’m not constantly out or working. Oh, and I’m adjunct faculty at a private high school teaching sound design to theatre kids, which takes up an inordinate and variable amount of time. As does my stuff with my car crew, including shows, meets, photography sessions, and working on cars.

Switching gears a bit, what I charge varies wildly. And I do mean WILDLY. My base rate for any project is $5 per completed and agreed upon asset. That can be a single footstep, it can be a whole ambience, it can be just a random background sound. Whatever the client wants or is determined to require is what’s counted, so individual layers and whatnot are not included. If it takes me 5 synth patches and 7 layers to make one sound, that’s still just one delivered asset and thus $5.

But, that doesn’t make sense financially for either very long or very large projects, so for those I typically prefer a regular income but that’s rare (I hear your cries about just getting a normal job, to which I say no thx been there done that lol). Instead, a flat rate will be agreed upon and paid up front, or half up front and half upon delivery. I generally hate things like rev share because you’re effectively working for free and hoping the client’s marketing and business teams are competent. Which they never are.

Soooo yeah, that pretty much sums it up. And before you hit up my contact form after reading all this and going “yeah I’ll hire her”, know that I’m booked through June 2024, so it might be a hot minute before you even get a response.